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National Council joins interfaith religious groups
to urge the House to pass Senate version of VAWA
 

Washington, May 11, 2012 -- Concerned that the House Judiciary Committee has severely weakened a bill to renew the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), religious groups are calling on the House of Representatives to pass a stronger version of the bill approved last month by the Senate.

 

According to the Interfaith Domestic Violence Coalition, which includes the National Council of Churches and Church Women United, the version of the bill reported out by the Judiciary Committee "harms victims of violence and empowers abusers," and rolls back protections that have been part of VAWA since it was first enacted in 1994.

 

"We support a bill like the bi-partisan Senate bill that protects Native victims, immigrant victims, LGBT victims and other marginalized communities," the coalition said in messages to members of the House of Representatives.

 

The House is scheduled to debate the legislation on Monday.

 

The Judiciary Committee amendments were voted along party lines except for Rep. Ted Poe, a Republican from Texas, who voted to maintain provisions of the original VAWA.

 

The National Council of Churches has supported the renewal of VAWA since early 2011. See earlier stories at http://www.ncccusa.org/news/111212VAWA.html and http://www.ncccusa.org/news/120126VAWA.html.

 

The Act, which creates an office within the Department of Justice to develop federal policies around issues relating to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking, has been scheduled for reauthorization since 2011.

 

"Since the original passage of VAWA in 1994, the legislation has dramatically enhanced our nation's response to violence against women," the religious organizations said in a January 26, 2012 letter to members of Congress.

 

"More victims report domestic violence to the police; the rate of non-fatal intimate partner violence against women has decreased by 63 percent; and VAWA saved nearly $14.8 billion in net averted social costs in just its first six years," the letter said.

 

Churches and faith organizations actively support VAWA, said the Rev. Ann Tiemeyer, program director of the National Council of Churches Women's Ministries Program.

 

“The church not only has a role in calling upon our Government to reauthorize and fund VAWA,” Tiemeyer said. “We also need to be safe places where women can come for assistance and healing. We need to preach out against all forms of intimate partner violence and work in partnership with our government to accomplish this goal.”


The nationwide Ecumenical Advocacy Days in 2010 set VAWA as a primary topic to discuss with members of Congress when delegates visited Capitol Hill, Tiemeyer noted. Knowing that re-authorization was on the docket, we have been building on this work since March 2011.

 

 



Since its founding in 1950, the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA has been the leading force for shared ecumenical witness among Christians in the United States. The NCC's 37 member communions -- from a wide spectrum of Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, Evangelical, historic African American and Living Peace churches -- include 45 million persons in more than 100,000 local congregations in communities across the nation.


NCC News contact:  Philip E. Jenks, 212-870-2228 (office), 646-853-4212 (cell),
pjenks@ncccusa.org

 

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